Not Quite Paradise
by Aurora West
Summary: Seven months after leaving DS9, Odo finds himself longing for something more than just the Link. When offered the chance, he visits the Dominion's headquarters and faces something quite unexpected there...
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: After a six year hiatus, I'm trying my hand at Star Trek fanfiction again. This is a very rough draft, so all feedback is welcome...sought after, in fact. I'm also on the lookout for a beta reader, if anyone feels up to the task. Anyway, none of this, of course, belongs to me. 

"Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux." Et facta est lux." 

Not Quite Paradise

Seven months after leaving Deep Space Nine and rejoining his people, Odo was finding that while the Great Link was the closest thing to paradise in the galaxy, it was also--sometimes--just a bit boring. That made sense, of course. If paradise was perfect, then nothing outside of perfection happened. Unfortunately, perfection had the tendency to be…well, _boring_. 

This had only begun to occur to him a few days ago, and when the rest of the Link quickly realized it, they were eager to make suggestions. He'd taken some of them--and admittedly, assuming the form of a Kurillian hawk, a bird that could fly to and dive from heights previously unheard of to Odo, _had_ been exhilarating--but being a half-submerged rock in an algae-filled pond wasn't his idea of an amusing diversion. 

At the moment, he was simply standing on the shore of the Link in his humanoid form, contemplating the past seven months. He'd spent much of that time teaching his people about the Alpha Quadrant and the civilizations there. They seemed to grasp much of what he told them, although they still harbored a mistrust of anything Solid. The most gratifying thing had been convincing them _not_ to pursue a military campaign, at least not on the other side of the wormhole. They seemed to still have plans of future conquest in the Gamma Quadrant. And why not? All of the Dominion's administrative levels were still in place and they didn't seem to be faltering. Odo couldn't help worrying that he might be embroiled in another war sooner than he'd ever imagined. The Dominion was weakened now, most certainly, and truth be told, his people weren't having much of a hand in any of the day to day matters of it. It had been rare that a changeling had left the planet to manage anything, so presumably the Vorta were doing so. He doubted that they would do anything outside of stabilizing the government, though, and as such didn't pose a problem--for the time being. 

And while his people understood that the Federation and her allies meant them no harm, the concept that he felt was truly important for their understanding of Solids was the concept of love. As simple as it had always seemed to everyone around him, and indeed, himself, it eluded his people. They knew of his feelings for Kira Nerys--they knew everything about him--but they couldn't fathom what those feelings meant. Love between two completely separate entities was simply incomprehensible to them. 

Odo sighed very slightly at the thought of Kira, whom he hadn't seen or even heard word of in seven months. Of course, he hadn't had word of anything that went on in the Alpha Quadrant, but having no idea what Nerys was doing was especially painful. Not a day went by that he didn't think of her. Now, he wondered if she was happy--perhaps she even had a new lover. The thought saddened him, but the thought of her being alone and unhappy was even worse. At first, when he'd come to the Great Link, he'd dared to hope that the void her absence left him with would eventually vanish, but it hadn't, and at this point, he doubted it ever would. Another thing his people didn't understand. 

"Odo?" a voice asked softly. 

He turned around and faced the changeling standing behind him. "Yes?" 

The changeling smiled at him. "We know you've been restless, Odo." 

After a moment, he nodded. "You could say that. The Link is very different from my life in the Alpha Quadrant. I'm still getting used to it." 

"Yes, I know," the changeling replied. "I came to ask you if you'd like to visit the Dominion's headquarters to check on the administration. Things need to be looked after now and then to make sure the Vorta are performing properly." 

The changeling's remark about the Vorta left a sour feeling in Odo's throat. Another thing he hadn't been able to convince the Founders of was the worth of Solids, particularly their own underlings. He may not have been overly fond of Vorta, but he _did_ think that they deserved to be treated as more than disposable animals. In spite of the distasteful comment--or perhaps because of it--the changeling's idea appealed to him. It was an opportunity to do something and learn about the Dominion at the same time. It was remarkable how little the Founders actually knew about the inner workings of their empire--they gave orders and expected them to be carried out, but they seemed to have no idea what was involved on the part of those receiving the orders. Well, he was curious. "When would you like me to leave?" 

"Whenever you'd like." 

Odo nodded slowly. "Then I'd like to go as soon as possible." 

The other changeling returned the nod. "A Jem'Hadar ship will be here to transport you there within the hour." 

"Thank you," Odo said. 

"We want you to be happy here." With those words, the changeling turned and walked away, and within an hour, as promised, Odo was on a Jem'Hadar ship. 

"Please make yourself comfortable, Founder," the Vorta supervisor said to him as she led him down a narrow corridor to his quarters. "And if you need anything, please don't hesitate to contact me." 

"I won't," Odo replied. Having reached his door, the Vorta inclined her head and turned to leave, but he stopped her with, "It _would_ make me more comfortable if you'd just call me Odo." 

"Of course." The Vorta hesitated, then added, "Odo." 

"What's your name?" he asked her curiously. 

She appeared surprised at the question for a split second before the typical Vorta expressionless-ness reasserted itself. "Luaren," she replied. "I…believe we've met before." 

Recognition dawned in Odo and he felt a stab of pain--she was the Vorta that Garak had killed when they'd captured the Jem'Hadar ship for the Cardassian resistance. "I'm sorry, he began, "I--" 

"There's no need to apologize, Odo," Luaren said smoothly. 

"I'd like to, though." 

There was that brief moment of surprise again. "Please, I don't deserve an apology from a...from you." 

_From a god_, she'd been about to say. She may have caught on to the fact that he didn't consider himself one, but he was sure he'd have to remind her the next time he spoke with her. Unsure of how to respond to her comment, Odo simply said, "Yes. Well, thank you, Luaren." 

She bowed her head. "We'll be arriving at the station in approximately thirty-two hours. If you wish, you may come up to the bridge." 

"I might do that," he replied. 

With a final obeisance, she departed, leaving Odo alone to ponder what he would encounter at Dominion Headquarters and what he'd just encountered on this ship. He was surprised at how little the Vortas' behavior had changed since the last time he'd met one. Clearly, the defeat of the Founders hadn't altered their perception of them as gods--or had it? Luaren hadn't been overly worshipful, but then again, it was possible that the Founders had informed her of how he felt about being treated as a deity and commanded her to act accordingly. Her surprise at his asking her name had caught his attention, but that could very well be chalked up to the fact that the Founders had no interest in their devotees except as servants. Did the Vorta resent that? There was no indication that they did, but still… He looked forward to learning the answer to that question as well as about this empire that he was a part of when he reached its headquarters. 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I still own nothing. Thanks to my two reviewers. Reviews make me happy. Actually I haven't been able to see the second one yet. Maybe it's a flame. Oh well, that would be all right, too. Also, based on information I received recently, I changed the timeline of the story to seven months after Odo comes to the Great Link. 

Dominion Headquarters was located on a space station that orbited a small, densely forested planet. Over half the planet appeared to be water, but all the available land was covered in a thick carpet of green. When Luaren appeared at his door to escort him to the airlock, he questioned her about it. 

"This is Kurill Prime," she informed him. 

"The Vorta homeworld?" Odo asked with some surprise. 

With a small smile, Luaren replied, "That's right." 

As they walked towards the airlock, Odo inquired, "Why are the Dominion's headquarters here? Is Kurill Prime an important planet?" 

"No," Luaren said, shaking her head. "In fact, Kurill Prime's only contribution to the Dominion is my people. Headquarters were moved here after we lost the war with the Federation. Kurill is deep within Dominion territory and unlikely to be attacked. It seemed a wise move." 

"Did you expect an attack?" 

She shrugged slightly and said, "We did not know what to expect. The Dominion has never lost a war and there are those who might take advantage of the fact that we have." 

"Hm." Odo only nodded, as they had reached the airlock. 

Luaren stopped and inclined her head in respect. "I must leave you here, Odo," she said. "A delegation will meet you on the station. It was a pleasure to serve you." With those words, she turned and strode away. 

Odo took a moment to gather himself and then stepped through the airlock. True to Luaren's word, a small group of Vorta was waiting for him on the other side. One stepped forward, bowed slightly, and introduced himself, "I am Teeren. Welcome to DHNQ-1. Would you like to oversee administrative matters immediately or rest for awhile?" 

Odo raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is there something pressing that needs my attention?" 

"No," Teeren replied smoothly. "Nothing _pressing_. But there is something that demands your attention before we act." 

"I see." Odo mulled the response over for a moment before saying, "If you don't mind, I'd like to look around before doing anything." 

"Of course," Teeren answered. "I'll show you around myself." A small motion from him prompted the other Vorta to disband and he led Odo to a turbolift, which sped into the heart of the station. Neither of them spoke for several minutes until Odo felt compelled to ask, "Everything's going well here, I hope?" 

"Oh yes," Teeren replied, a note of eagerness entering his voice. "Reconstruction of the army is proceeding nicely since most of the Jem'Hadar hatcheries survived the war. I'm afraid, however, that the Vorta population is a bit low at the moment. Rondac 3 was an important cloning facility and we still haven't quite recovered. But that's a minor point. Otherwise, our trading alliances are still intact and we've been able to maintain our intelligence network. Ah, here we are." The turbolift jolted to a stop and they stepped into an empty, gray corridor with only three doors in it. Without saying a word, Teeren led him into the most dimly lit of the three. A low hum permeated the room and there seemed to be no overhead lighting--the only illumination came from tall cases lining the walls, which gave off a faint, bluish glow. Odo moved closer to one of the cases, curious, and as he drew near, he began to be able to make out a vaguely humanoid shape, though the limbs seemed somehow stunted and incomplete. Then, suddenly, with startling force, he knew what this was. He fell back and faced Teeren, exclaiming, "They're clones!" 

The Vorta nodded. "Yes. I didn't think you'd ever seen any of our cloning facilities before, and it seemed important that you did on this trip." 

Odo didn't answer as he instead slowly walked around the room, peering at the cases--or perhaps, more appropriately, tanks, because the blue glow was given off by some sort of liquid. "This is where you come from?" Odo asked, shocked by the scene in the room. He'd of course known the Vorta were clones, but to actually see it like this was jarring. They were all in various stages of growth, from undifferentiated fetus to mature…adult? "All Vorta are…_born_ this way?" 

Teeren nodded. "All of us. Vorta don't…reproduce." 

"Why not?" 

"It's forbidden." Teeren didn't go on, even though Odo's interest was piqued by the information. "Do you wish to stay here longer, or--" 

His sentence was interrupted by the appearance of another Vorta in the doorway, and Odo exclaimed, "You!" 

Her lavender eyes dropped to the floor, but she moved into the room and approached Teeren. "Am I to be allowed…?" 

"Not now," he said quietly. "Odo would like to look around the station first." 

"If you don't mind," Odo began, "I'd like to hear what she has to say." 

The new Vorta turned to him and genuflected, saying, "I'm honored you remember me." 

"It would be hard to forget the first member of the Dominion I ever encountered, Eris." Odo scrutinized her closely, but she didn't meet his gaze. "I gather you had something to ask me?" 

"It isn't a matter that concerns only me," she said, "I'm simply the one that…brought up the question." 

"Go on." 

A barely audible breath was the only thing to indicate Eris' nervousness before she began, "You know, of course, that the Rondac 3 cloning facility was destroyed, and you may also know that all of Weyoun's clones were gestating there." 

"Weyoun?" Odo started at the name--it had been the last thing he'd expected to hear. "What does he have to do with anything? Wasn't Weyoun Eight the last?" 

"The last fully mature clone, yes," Eris responded, her voice calm and unwavering. "But his DNA was on file." 

"I have a feeling I know what you're getting at," Odo interjected. "You'd like to clone him again?" 

"Actually, no," Teeren spoke up. He gestured to the tank directly behind him. "We'd like to activate him." 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Thanks as usual to everyone who reviewed. Reviews make me happy. I'd like to reassure anyone who cares that this story is, in fact, finished, but I haven't typed it because I quite simply don't have time. The semester is drawing to a close and I have two ten page research papers to write and a week to do so. But this story won't just be left hanging.   
Augusta: What is this sacrilege against Weyoun? The _best character ever_? ;) 

Chapter 3

Odo was close enough to the tank to see that Weyoun was, indeed, inside. There was no doubt that it was him, either, all the features were identical to the last Weyoun he'd seen. After he'd seen that clone—eight, if he recalled correctly—lying on the floor, dead, he thought he'd never lay eyes on the Vorta again. And he hadn't wanted to. Not just because Weyoun was a viper and a thorn in everyone's side, but also because he had never forgotten Weyoun Six. The unwavering devotion and the absolute trust had been unnerving, but he still couldn't help feeling guilty about his death. He knew there was nothing he could have done, but the look in Weyoun's eyes as he'd died was nothing short of heartbreaking. He was the Vorta's god, and he had failed him. 

"We haven't activated any clones without the Founders' permission," Teeren was saying. "This one has just come to term." He hesitated and then added, "The other Founders have expressed disinterest in Weyoun Nine's activation since he _did_ fail to win the war, but we were told to ask you. You apparently have a…unique position." 

"Indeed," Odo said, a note of exasperation in his voice. Why were his people leaving Weyoun's fate in _his_ hands? What unique position could he possibly have? Weyoun had defected to him, true, but that meant only that he'd aided and abetted a traitor. "My first inclination is to say no." 

"I hope it isn't your last," Eris said carefully. 

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why should Weyoun be activated? Frankly, the galaxy seems better off without him." 

"He was a great man," she responded, a slight edge of defensiveness in her voice. "Please reconsider." 

Odo scrutinized her closely, but her passive facial expression gave nothing away. "There's something else going on here. What interest do you have in Weyoun?" 

Teeren and Eris' eyes met for the barest of seconds, and the former suggested, "It may be wise to tell him." Turning to Odo, he said, "I apologize, this is something of a difficult matter for Eris, but she'll explain her motivations to you. Perhaps you'd like to use the observation room?" He gestured to an inconspicuous door, and when she slitted her eyes at him, he said to her quietly, "This will be necessary, you know that. And Odo is the only one who will understand." 

After a long moment, Eris gave a tiny nod. "If you'll hear me out, Odo, I would be grateful." 

"I suppose it can't do any harm." 

She bowed her head slightly and led him into the observation room, which looked out on the clone chamber through a large, domed window. On one of the other walls was a smaller window that opened onto a bare room with what looked to be an operating table in it and stark, metallic cabinets. 

Eris and Odo sat down at a circular table in the center of the room. The Vorta folded her hands in front of her and stared at them for several seconds before looking up at him and saying, "I need to tell you about Vorta before anything else." 

"Go ahead." 

She appeared to be pondering how to start, finally saying, "Vorta mate for life. It was highly discouraged once we became part of the Dominion, but not prohibited, and those who were lifemated before cloning retain, for the most part, their relationships with their partners." She paused. "The Eris line, of which I am the fourth, has persisted for over six hundred years, and for the greater part of that time, I have been lifemated to Weyoun." 

By the time she'd picked her way towards this admission, Odo had guessed what it would be and hid his surprise, even though it was significant. Weyoun, a family? He supposed stranger things had happened, but it was still an odd thought. Had he ever had children, then? And how could anyone remain on intimate terms with Weyoun for _six hundred_ years? Then something else occurred to him from Eris' comments. "You seemed to imply that you lived before the Founders integrated the Vorta into the Dominion." 

"That's correct." 

"Then…how can you say they're gods? You _know_ they altered your genetic code!" 

"We always have worshipped the Founders," she said matter-of-factly. "Ever since they raised us from our primitive state. It was always said that the gods would return one day." She tilted her head at him. "They began cloning us then. Every Vorta alive today was alive when the Founders returned." 

Odo shook his head in disbelief. "You're telling me that you _remember_ what your life was like _before_ the Dominion! You can't taste, you can't reproduce, you can't see beauty, and yet you still worship the Founders?" 

"We live to serve." 

Odo sighed. As usual, it was useless to attempt to reason with a Vorta. "You still haven't told me why Weyoun should be activated." 

She broke their gaze. "Forgive me. I don't know how to say it--we don't speak of these things." For a moment, she paused, thinking, and then she went on, "I understand that you cared very deeply for Colonel Kira." 

"Are you trying to tell me that you love Weyoun?" 

"Yes." She looked relieved that she didn't actually have to say the words. "I'm glad that you see. The other Founders…don't." 

"I'm not a Founder," he reminded her, though there was no bite in his tone. "And you're right; they don't understand my feelings for Kira, either." Well, this was the last thing he'd expected. Commiserating with a Vorta about lost love. "I wonder, Eris, why didn't the Founders just alter your genetic code to eliminate love?" 

She raised an eyebrow. "How does one eliminate love from the genetic sequence? Even in a species with less complicated relationships, I think it would be impossible." 

Odo waited for her to expand on her statement, but when she didn't, he just remarked, "You're telling me all this because you want this Weyoun clone activated." 

"I realize it's not a particularly convincing argument. But…I've had four lifetimes with him. I cannot imagine what it would be like if he were…gone." 

Her plea actually moved him. As soon as she'd mentioned Nerys and made it clear that she identified with him and understood his sense of loss, his perception of the Vorta had changed completely. At the same time, however, they became an even more curious species and their worship of the Founders even harder to understand. 

He didn't want to be careless and let his emotions drive foolish decisions, though. Weyoun had been, with the exception of the Founders, the most powerful individual in the Dominion. In fact, Odo had always thought that his administrative and diplomatic position almost gave him more power than the Founders--certainly he'd had more responsibility. There was nothing that would prevent him from rising to that same position of prominence and perhaps posing a threat to the Alpha Quadrant again. 

Eris startled him by saying, "You're concerned that Weyoun will act aggressively towards the Alpha Quadrant's governments." 

He hesitated and then answered, "Yes." 

With a nod of acceptance, Eris said, "He's a loyal servant of the Founders. And of you. There will be no Vorta-led Dominion." She offered him a disarming smile--her first one, so perhaps she _had_ been on edge--and added, "I don't mean to imply that your concerns are unfounded, but--" 

"But I'm being overly paranoid? Maybe." He watched her, but she kept her eyes lowered deferentially. "I'll think about this, Eris." 

A brief, unguarded moment of happiness flared on her face and vanished just as quickly as she reined her emotions in. "Thank you, Odo." 

"Don't thank me just yet," he warned her. "I'll have your answer for you by the time I leave." 

She stood, bowed, and left the room. On her way out of the cloning chamber, she paused at Weyoun's tank and stared, head tilted, for a moment. Her expression was unreadable. She didn't linger long, however, before disappearing out the door. 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: Wow, how awesome am I for _completely forgetting about this story_. Sorry to anyone who was reading this, I thought I'd posted the whole thing, but I discovered today that that was not the case. So here are the last two chapters.

Chapter 4

In the quarters that had been provided to him, Odo paced back and forth, lost in thought. His tour of the station earlier had been informative, convincing him that the Vorta had everything well under control. He'd learned that the Federation had sent a ship into the Gamma Quadrant but that it had stayed well away from Dominion territory and hadn't attempted to initiate contact. Was it the _Defiant_, Odo wondered? The thought made him miss his life and friends on Deep Space Nine and wish, not for the first time, that there was some way of getting word of what was happening there.

It was odd--all his life he'd wished to find his home and be with his people, and now that he had, he was realizing that there were some things that the Great Link simply couldn't give him. Variety, for one. In fact, this time on the space station was the best he'd had in a long time. He felt useful. The Link did many things, but it certainly didn't give him a feeling of productiveness. Even this Weyoun business was a welcome change.

Which reminded him. Weyoun. What _was_ he going to do about that? Eris' story of Vorta history seemed to be true--Teeren had given him a similar account and neither of their voices had held that insincere note that he'd always associated with Vorta. He had to admit to himself that fighting a war for the opposite side had left him with a fairly narrow view of the Vorta as disingenuous liars blindly following the orders of their superiors. And they were to outsiders--but not among themselves, it seemed. There appeared to be a genuine affection between Eris and Teeren, for example. He clearly seconded her cause and defended her staunchly.

As for mindlessly obeying the Founders…the Vorta used a bizarre logic to justify their faith and push all conflict to the backs of their minds. Odo had seen it with Weyoun Six, and he'd seen it today. They had no way to reconcile what they knew to be true about the Founders with their beliefs, and so they simply ignored what they knew.

Odo harrumphed quietly. Religion. He'd never understand why people complicated their lives with it. Living among Bajorans so long, he'd come to have great respect for their faith, but would never have worshipped the Prophets himself. And yet…he couldn't help but think that it must be hard for the Vorta to have to face their gods every day. And their gods failed to live up to their divinity so often. Odo, to his own surprise, found that he didn't want to disappoint these people. He didn't want to take away anything more from them, even if they claimed it didn't matter how much was taken.

Abruptly, he sat down at the comm. panel and contacted Teeren.

"Yes, Odo?" the Vorta asked pleasantly.

"Teeren, I wondered if we might take a walk."

He looked uncertain momentarily, but quickly bowed his head. "Of course. When?"

"Now, if you don't mind. Can I meet you on the main deck?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Teeren agreed with a nod.

"Good. Odo out."

Within five minutes, the two of them were strolling down the main deck of the station. All the commerce took place here, and it was the only place on the station Odo had seen species besides Vorta and Jem'Hadar. There was not, however, anything he could see that remotely resembled Quark's bar, which pleased him immensely. At times, the Dominion didn't seem so bad.

Teeren was clearly waiting for him to speak, so Odo decided not to let the silence stretch on any longer. "Did you know Weyoun?"

The Vorta didn't answer right away and adopted a thoughtful expression for several moments. Then, however, he answered, "We worked together on occasion."

"How would you describe him?"

Teeren raised an eyebrow. "You really are giving his activation serious consideration. Hm. How _would_ I describe him?" Teeren paused briefly before continuing, "Dedicated. Loyal to a fault. Ruthless, cunning, and intelligent. But those are meaningless adjectives--anybody could see those things about him. I suspect in private he could be a very different man, and I wouldn't be able to tell you about that. He had an almost impeccable public face."

"Almost?"

Nodding, Teeren said, "There was one time, not long before the end of the war, when Weyoun was here visiting Eris. He looked…weary, I think is the best way to describe it. The war was hard on us all, of course, but Eris has hinted that it was harder on him than he ever let on."

Odo nodded. "I see. And would you call him cruel?"

"Oh, I'm quite sure he could be. One doesn't go through eight clones without developing something of a mean streak. But then again, with Vorta, it's often difficult to tell where the Founders' wills end and ours begin. Even for us."

Odo turned his head and found that Teeren was looking at him a bit oddly. "What is it?"

He shook his head a little, as if to clear it. "Nothing. Forgive me."

"As usually, there's nothing to forgive." Odo stopped, turning his next question around in his mind a couple times before asking, "Teeren, do _you_ think Weyoun should be activated?"

"Yes," he replied without pause. "Absolutely. I wouldn't have allowed Eris to ask if I didn't. And almost any Vorta would give you the same answer."

"You _really_ think that Weyoun's presence will be beneficial to the Dominion?"

Teeren smiled. "Oh yes, Odo. But it doesn't matter what I think. The question you should ask is; do_ you_ think so?"


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue

Eris paced the observation room impatiently, glancing every so often at the procedure playing out beyond the window. She'd been present for activations before, but they'd never seemed to take this long. The operation table was shielded from her view, but eventually, she noticed a shadow was being cast on the wall by someone sitting up on it. More time passed, and then one of the scientists opened the door to the observation room and asked, "Would you like to see him?"

"He's ready so soon?"

The scientist smiled very slightly. "I've activated Weyoun clones before. They're always very quick to remember everything. A resilient line, if I may say so."

Eris nodded and stepped into the small room used for clone activation. At the sound of her footfalls, the Vorta on the operating table turned his head and fixed his eyes on her face. "Eris," he greeted.

"Weyoun," she returned, slowly approaching him.

He glanced down at himself, taking note of the shapeless grey smock he was covered in, and then offered her a tiny smile. "I apologize that you must see me in such a disheveled state."

"Oh, nonsense," Eris replied, her face expressionless. "That shade of grey is quite becoming on you."

His eyes held amusement as he said, "Try not to flatter me too outrageously, Eris. You know I can tell when you're lying." Weyoun held out his hand to her, and she moved closer, taking it gently. For a moment, he studied their entwined fingers, and then remarked thoughtfully, "I've been told that it's been seven months since my predecessor died."

"Correct."

"I assume you'll tell me what I missed?"

She nodded. "All in good time. Can you stand?"

Weyoun flexed his bare feet and swung his legs a little, shrugged, and then slid off the table. Eris put a hand lightly on his arm in case he needed steadying, and even though it quickly became apparent that he didn't, she maintained the contact.

"Cold floor," he said with a slight grimace.

At that, Eris laughed. "I'd think you would remember that after all the clones you've gone through."

"Oh, do I detect a note of superiority in that tone? I suppose it's because you're only on your fourth? Typical."

"Well, you _are_ rather careless."

"Careless is such a _harsh_ word," he commented, one eyebrow quirked. "What about…daring?"

"Careless."

"Daring."

"Careless. And much more childish than I remember."

He chuckled and carefully pulled her into an embrace, wobbling slightly but staying upright. "I apologize for getting myself killed. How's that as a testament to my maturity?"

Eris smiled and leaned her head against his, cheek to cheek. "You're forgiven. I'm glad you're back."

His eyes gleamed as he considered his new life--his ninth. Nine was a good number. Hopefully he'd get to enjoy it for a long, long time. "You know," Weyoun said, "so am I."


End file.
